The Best Workout Apps, According To Top Trainers

Obvious statement alert: Getting to the gym on super-busy days can be damn near impossible.

But that’s the beauty of workout apps—and there are plenty of options out there for everyone from yogis to lifters to runners.

What’s also great about using an app: You can track your progress. “Be consistent and spend a little time each week reviewing the data,” says Pete McCall, C.S.C.S., host of the All About Fitness Podcast and instructor at Equinox in San Diego. “It can help you identify when you’re training too hard or not training hard enough—or not hitting the ideal heart rate long enough for significant calorie burn.”

If you want to fit in a quick sweat, this app offers bodyweight workouts from five to 30 minutes—and if you pay for a coach (starting at $6.25/month), you also get a personalized training plan.

“The workouts are perfect for traveling with no equipment and no access to a gym,” says Kirsten Beverley-Waters, trainer, yoga instructor, and founder of Thryve, which offers wellness retreats around the country.

This strength, cardio, and yoga workout app features tons of different fitness partnerships with brands from TRX (for core strength and stability) to TriggerPoint (foam rolling). That means you’ll find any type of workout you could possibly feel like doing, whether intense or for recovery.

Another pro: Top run coaches will walk (er, run) you through all types of workouts, including Jenny Hadfield and Deena and Andrew Kastor.

Want to sculpt your shoulders? Target your tush? Work on that six-pack? SworkIt offers body part-specific workouts that’ll help you do just that.

Pick your goal (leaner, fitter, stronger), and it’ll show you the routines to get you there. A few examples: five-minute abs, yoga for runners, a daily stretch, and “Rump Roaster,” a.k.a. building that booty.

CrossFitters, this tracker is for you. It makes tallying your gains and setbacks super-simple, plus it offers full workouts you can do, too. “I use it to log in all my lifts, times, and distances on my run,” says Sherry Ward, a coach at Brick New York. “The bonus here is how it keeps you connected with your community at the gym or amongst your squad worldwide, showing the same workout performance on a leaderboard.” It also points out strength and weaknesses, and assesses your fitness level.

Whether you want to master a pullup or impress people with a flawless press-to-handstand move, this app has you covered. It's a favorite of Solace New York CrossFit coach Danielle Barry, who loves that it breaks down moves into basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, so everyone can learn them. You get videos and drills to use to practice, plus a plan to capture your goal—all powered by experts. “It’s a one-stop shop for learning some new party tricks,” Barry says.

The name just says it all. You get exercise routines sans machines, weights, or any other gadgets, so you can press play and break a sweat no matter where you are. “I highly recommend this app for everyone to have in their fitness folder if they’re looking for a quick and efficient workout,” says Trammell Logan, senior SoulCycle instructor and founder of #Movewithmell at Studio B. You can focus on different body parts per workout or go for a full-body burn.

Regular CrossFit WOD challengers, listen up: You’ll want to download this app ASAP. With it, you get alerts when your box posts the day’s workout (plus, you can see videos to help you prep), track your PRs, and connect with other like-minded athletes. “Being able to give your workout buddies ‘fist bumps’ when you see them kick ass (and vice versa) is a great motivator,” says Margie Welch, trainer at Beast: Fitness Evolved, who says this is a favorite. Don’t do CrossFit everyday? You can also record workouts you did outside the box walls.

You can choose sport-specific training plans through this app or go for “all-around athlete.” By entering your height, weight, and goals, you get a full program based on your personal info. “I found the variety of workouts to be difficult and fun,” says Logan. “So fun that I actually completed my six-week plan, created just for me, which I don’t always do.”

DMC stands for Detroit Medical Center—and that means you get the guidance of doctors while you’re out on the run or, even more important, if you feel an injury looming. “The app gives users access to numerous videos for training tips, such as foam rolling, strength training, and dynamic warm-up routines,” says Kristy M. Smith, M.D., a primary care sports medicine doctor at the Detroit Medical Center and associate team physician for the Detroit Red Wings. You’ll also find at-home remedies for common overuse injuries that can plague runners, and of course, a running log to track your performance on the road.

So many runners and bicyclists use Strava—and that’s likely because it’s so big on community. You can follow friends, see their routes, share photos, and compete in challenges. “This allows you to stay connected with your fit friends, which is a great way to hold each other accountable,” says Hollis Tuttle, senior run coach at Mile High Run Club.

The best part: You can easily find places to run if you’re in a new city, thanks to the local feature that shows popular routes in major cities.

Anyone chasing that PR should turn to Running Pace as their training BFF. It helps you figure out your time per mile, so you easily hit that end goal. “If you’re training for an upcoming race in a specific finish time, then this will ensure that you’re running at the appropriate speed,” Tuttle says.

With Aaptiv, you get audio-guided workouts, meaning no need to look at your phone—just listen up. The trainer will give clear directions on anything from strength and yoga to running, cycling, and stair climbing (to name a few). “It’s great for when I need motivation and inspiration while working out,” says Kara Tremel, an instructor at Uplift Studios and Physique57.

In addition to pace, splits, elevation, mileage, and routes, you can set goals, share mileage with followers and get live feedback from a coach through your first mile. For those later miles when you start to feel a little sluggish, you can also set a power song to add some pep to that step.

Upgrade to premium and you also get nutrition and training plans catered to your goals.

Swap that Netflix night for a few laps around your neighborhood. All you have to do is download this widely-loved app, which will get beginner runners clocking 3.1 in nine weeks.

The plan is laid out so it’s super-easy to follow and requires just 20- to 30-minute runs three days a week. It also has an audio coach to talk to you through each workout. Choose your favorite voice among four.

Whether you want a strength-focused workout or a cardio-focused interval set, the Nike training app has you covered. “The Nike training app has workouts for all durations. So, when I want to get in a quick workout, I use it to keep things fresh,” says Noam Tamir, owner of TS Fitness in NYC. “I like that they have warmups for all the workouts.”

You’ll get access to a library of thousands of workouts with Daily Burn, many of which are based on bodyweight exercises, so you can crush it anywhere. The app features tons of options from kickboxing to HIIT to lifting to mobility. It’s like boutique fitness right in your hand.

Live-stream classes every day, each under 30 minutes. You get real-time shoutouts from the energetic instructors, and you can easily string a few of these workouts together to get a longer session if that’s what you’re after. It’s like being in-person for a class, but from the comfort of your living room.

You’ve heard of the big-name brands under this fitness umbrella: Insanity, PiYo, 21-Day Fix. You’ll get all of these programs—all of different lengths, intensities, and fitness approaches—when you sign up for this streaming service.

YogaGlo knows exactly what you need: “The app starts to assist in selecting classes you might like, based on previous ones you have taken, which is awesome,” Beverley-Waters raves. “And now they even have specific programs you can enroll in and set your schedule so that you can have some accountability.”

Newb yogis will especially love this. You can choose the practice that interests you, how long you want to go with the flow, and the difficulty level before pressing play on the soothing voice that cues you through the practice.

You also have access to a pose library that shows correct posture and the benefits of the pose, along with the Sanskrit name. To top it off, you also don’t need Wifi to play them. Go ahead and hit the beach for an extra-relaxing session.

Start (and maintain) a regular yoga practice right at home with this easy-to-use app. It offers sequences ranging from 10 to 90 minutes and easily caters to all experience levels. The best part, according to Welch: Some stand-out music that flows with your practice. To top it off, each time you sign on, the app generates a new vinyasa yoga routine, so you never have to repeat the same thing. Genius, especially for those who get bored easily!

Love posting your workouts to Insta? Use this timer to record without missing a beat. “The video feature is a plus because it shows the duration of a workout when there is no clock in camera view,” says Ward. “It's a great way to showcase a workout in real-time and unedited on your personal social media.”

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24For Everything Else: Apple Health

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Lots of fitness pros, including McCall, recommend the Apple Health app, which will automatically track your step count and links with tons of third-party apps to feed data on your workout habits. No need to download, it comes right on your phone. But make sure you check out your stats.

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